


Practice for the Plan

by littletechiebird



Category: Young Avengers
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-12
Updated: 2012-08-12
Packaged: 2017-11-11 23:54:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/484297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littletechiebird/pseuds/littletechiebird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt fill: Billy and Teddy in a home ec. class, they get to the assignment to care for a robo baby.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Practice for the Plan

**Author's Note:**

> I see it as a kind of continuation of, and make reference to, this fic of mine: Dreaming to Plan Ahead.

A breath hitching, and then a low fit of chuckles.

 

“T.. Tee..!” It’s halfhearted urgency that seems to hardly be convinced of their need to stop. At least, that’s what he’s attempting to convey, though Billy is easily distracted by the lips that are at his neck, and the hands that have slipped up  his shirt after those arms have wrapped around him. There’s nothing special about today, it’s just how things have been lately. It’s been quieter. They’ve had more time. They’re taking advantage because it’s been so long since they’ve been able to talk without falling asleep mid conversation, in person or on the phone. Or have more contact than maybe a few minutes to cuddle together to try and get a little bit of rest before they’re called to “work” again.

 

And so it’s been _playful_. Almost downright out of character for how they might have been. The current situation reflects it somewhat as Billy leans back against the wall of one of the back hallways of the school. Faintly, they could hear the sounds of dozens of lockers being slammed shut, and conversations that were previously carried to their ears as a hum would drift away to leave a quieter hum of the remaining collective conversation. 

 

These facts were not high on their list of priorities. It was only a subconscious level on which they paid attention to listen for anyone who would draw too close to disrupt their stolen moment. The moment that was spent with Teddy’s lips on his own, renewing the shiver down his spine that Billy easily got any time Teddy got close. It only grew stronger as those lips trailed from their origin to his jawline, down his neck, nudging aside his oversized sweatshirt (that he’d actually “stolen” from Teddy) to nip at his collarbone. Long, thin fingers dug deeper into blonde locks while the other grasped the fabric of the shoulder of Teddy’s shirt. It was absolutely _unfair_ that they were stranded --

 

_Riiiiiiiing--_

__

The sound of the class bell brought Billy to jump where he stood. Teddy had raised himself to full height again and they were looking to each other with the same expression, knowing the trouble they’d be in for allowing time to get away from them. Billy’s hand sought out Teddy’s quickly and dragged him off towards class. “We’re late!”

 

\------

 

By the time they reached the classroom, they attempted to open the door quietly, hoping they could slip in at the back of the class unnoticed -- or at least, this had been the idea that Billy was hoping for. _‘Pleasedon’tnoticeus. Pleasedon’tnoticeus. Plea--’_

__

By the time they had reached the first row of desks, the teacher turned from her place at the dry erase board, expression not the least bit surprised. The rest of the class didn’t seem to be giving any attention to their late appearance. Normally, it would have been a reason for any of them to snigger and revel in the lecture that they were to receive, but they were too busy groaning about something that concerned themselves already. Teddy glanced back, trying to catch a peek at the papers each student held. He would have assumed it was a returned paper or test, but there’s wasn’t anything due back to them. In fact they were supposed to have a project soon or something weren’t they?

 

“Mister Kaplan. Mister Altman. Nice of you two to join us. I suppose you’ve made my job easy.” A glance was exchanged between the two boys, suddenly feeling a bit concerned about what was possibly coming for them to dread. 

 

“You two will be paired up for the current project. Take a packet from my desk and take a seat. I’ll be explaining the assignment.”

 

There was a feeling of impending doom that was rising, for whatever reason. Both boys responded with a verbal compliance and did what they were told, taking their seats in the back, setting their backpacks beside their desks, trying to catch the eye of any other student who had any idea of what was going on. Billy gave up, however, and chose to glance at the packet they’d retrieved in stead. With what he read? Dread had been the proper, though uninformed, response.

 

“This is what most of you have been dreading all year, I’m sure. A few others might, possibly, have actually been looking forward to this assignment. I assure you, this will not be an easy one. It will take all of your work, attention, and problem solving. This is a class that most of you find to be useless, and a nuisance. But let me remind you, this project itself will count for _sixty percent of your final grade_.”

 

Anyone who hadn’t been listening before was suddenly doing so as if their lives depended on it. They knew they needed this credit to be able to graduate at the end of the year.

 

“Within your care, for the entirety of your spring break, will be a somewhat “advanced” doll designed just for this assignment. Needless to say, that means it is definitely not just a doll. For the thirteen days that you will be gone, you will care for this doll as your child. It is programmed to cry, responding to various needs. It needs to be fed, changed, and cleaned. You cannot just leave it lying around, either. It responds to movement, jostling, and any excessive force that spans beyond the careful nature by which you should handle any child.” 

 

With each word, Billy had felt his heartbeat become more irregular, and he felt the blood slowly draining from his face. This was not going to go well.

 

“It’s basically in your best interest to view it as a living, breathing, child that will be in your care. Oh, and by the way, if you _do_ decide to make the mistake of neglecting it, there is a built-in mechanism that will reflect “death” and simply disable the child. If this sequence is activated, I’m sure it’s obvious, but you will receive a failing grade, and the course as a whole. In such a case, you’ll get to come back the following year to do this all over again. Sound good?”

 

The groaning within the classroom was a surprise to no one, and had been in no way unexpected.

 

“I thought so. So, all you need to do is give it your best effort and I’m sure it’ll be fine. After you start taking care of the “child”, I would like you to keep a journal about your progress. What do you experience with the assignment? What are your thoughts? What are the things that are more difficult for you? Are you able to work well with your partner? Not only that, but I would like you to create a whole persona for your “child”. Every child needs a name, and yours will be no different.”

 

He swore he could feel his palms sweating. Okay, okay. There was no reason to freak out this bad. It was just this robot doll thing that was going to be their kid for just under two weeks. Making them play a more serious adult version of “house”. No big deal. It didn’t make him think about what they’d discussed at all before. No. No, not at all.

 

Letting his head drop to the wooden top of his desk seemed like a good reaction.

He’d just ignore the dramatic and much-too-loud “thunk” that had sounded in result. 

It’ was cool.

 

_“Bee?”_

 

Hearing Teddy’s concerned whisper as their teacher began to write a few short notes on the board, Billy just allowed his head to roll side to side in the slightest in a rather lame attempt at dispelling his boyfriend’s worry. “I’m good.” He murmured, somewhat muffled, against the desk. 

 

Billy could picture the slight pout of concern that had to be settling onto the other boy’s lips, because he still felt his eyes on him. 

 

“Really.” He added, trying to make his voice sound a little more convincing as he kept it hushed. 

 

He’d just keep his internal, ridiculous, freak-out to himself. It was just a dumb school project, after all. He should have just been worrying about the percentage of his grade that it would count for. ...If Teddy were to ask later, he’d blame his obvious “issue” on that tidbit. It seemed like a good plan.

 

\------

 

At the end of the class, each pair got into line to pick up their “robo baby” that was left in their care for what was basically the next two weeks.

 

So much for being able to enjoy their Spring Break.

 

Being at the end of the line came with sitting in the back of the room. So as they were handed the child and a bag of supplies, neither of them said a word. Teddy politely said goodbye with the usual student departure of “See you after the break” and they left the classroom, heading to their lockers to retrieve what they needed for the break. The workload hadn’t been bad until the project. 

 

So much for finally having time. 

 

“I’d completely forgotten about this project. We were dreading it at the start of the year, but I really don’t think it’ll be that bad. I mean, I think we can figure it out, right?”

 

Teddy’s expression was warm, seemingly caught between a healthy dose of nervousness and optimism. But of course that was how he responded. Meanwhile, Billy was just left with an awkward, completely uncomfortable and an I-am-completely-out-of-my-element one. He grabbed his things without a word, leaning against the closed locker door to wait for Teddy to do the same. A look of question crossed his face when he noticed Teddy was too busy cradling the baby in stead of making an attempt to get in his locker. Books were in one arm, the doll carefully cradled in the other. “Mind holding the baby for a minute while I get in my locker?” He asked, nudging his arm out a bit towards Billy to encourage him to take the doll.

 

For a moment, Billy did nothing but stare at the child that seemed like a foreign offering. His eyes flicked up to Teddy’s face, which suddenly looked a bit confused, and then back to the baby before he just nudged in front of Teddy and turned through the proper combination to the lock before opening the locker and switching out Teddy’s books, shoving them into his own bag before closing it again. He said nothing while he done so, and by the time he was done, he just looked expectantly at his still confused partner. 

 

“Ready to go?” It was all he asked.

 

Dismissing it for now, he nodded the two headed from their lockers and down the hall. Their destination was Billy’s. They would have a couple hours to kill before they had a mandatory meeting at the mansion for practice and their team meeting. Besides, Billy couldn’t help looking forward to the cookies they’d been promised to help them celebrate the start of their break. That would bring back the day’s good feeling. ..Or he hoped so, anyway.

 

Upon thinking of the day’s events, and their new addition, was what brought him to realize that they actually had a small crisis on their hands. Pausing for a moment in his step, he said nothing until Teddy finally stopped a few steps ahead, turning around to look back to him to question him. But Billy didn’t allow him time enough to form any kind of question. It wasn’t necessary. He’d just ask his own.

 

“What are we going to do with it while we’re with the team?!”

 

“Her.”

 

“We can’t possibly take it into the field!”

 

“Her.”

 

“We’ll get it blown up! Or run over. Or smashed to pieces!”

 

“ _Her_.”

 

Finally noting the repeated word that had received quite a bit of emphasis, he allowed his expression to reflect his dumbfounded state.

 

“What?”

 

“Her.” He repeated again before gently holding the baby out towards Billy, who had the instinct to shrink back a step or two but stayed where he was, as a hand of Teddy’s rested on either side of the doll’s torso. 

 

“I think she looks like a girl. Don’t you?”

 

For a while, not a word he said had honestly made any kind of sense. Weren’t they talking about the doll? So how had he said anything wr-- But his face flushed a bit in realization. Teddy was already _really_ getting into this. As awkward as this felt overall, he wasn’t about to fight the smile he felt coming. 

 

“Uh.. well, I guess so.”

 

But then Teddy was grinning, suddenly so excited, and Billy just didn’t understand.. Was this really all about the doll? Was he really enjoying it that much?

 

“Good. Now she just needs a name.” 

 

Clearly Teddy was not all that distressed with figuring out how they would care for the doll, or child, or whatever it--she was, while they were out in the field and working on a mission. He supposed it was something they would figure out at some point. He wondered if he could get his Mom to help with it. She was going to be home at night anyway..

 

“A name? Well.. I really don’t know.” He had no idea where to start. He was going to take this seriously, he supposed, because Teddy definitely was.. But at the same time, he wasn’t going to really hold it quite as special as he might have if --

 

They didn’t say anything for a while. The two walked back, seemingly devoting themselves to the thought process completely. As each mind sorted through the names that came, neither suggested too many between the two of them. But after each name, there would just be a pause. It didn’t quite fit. 

 

“Kara?” Came a sudden suggestion on Billy’s part, one that he hadn’t even expected out of himself. All of the suggestions had come from Teddy thus far, and his mind had started to wander. It figured that he was thinking of something as distracted as any of their comic books. But the blue eyes of the doll, and the fuzzy blonde hair had helped guide his mind. He, within moments, felt ridiculous for the suggestion. Was that really the best he had? Even if it was Teddy of all people, who was just as nerdy as he was, it still made him feel as if it might have seemed that he wasn’t taking this as serious as Teddy was.

 

But in the time spent worrying, Billy missed the light that came to Teddy’s eyes in clear agreement. “That’s great!” 

 

Pleasantly surprised, he lightly laughed to himself. “Well.. alright.”

 

If he’d known he could get away with nerdy name suggestions, he might’ve gone with Stephanie, or Barbara, or... there were actually a lot of good choices. But...

 

Kara it was.

 

\------

 

It was when they had been four doors down from his own that Kara had started crying. The two of them had winced, trying to ignore the stares they were getting from those around, and rushed to his door. Fumbling with his keys for an extra painful moment, he finally managed to open the door to allow both of them inside before shutting it behind them, only to wince again because she sounded even louder once they were inside. Figures.

 

“What in the name of all things good--?!”

 

Yes, he was sure this was the last thing anyone in his house would have expected to hear, he was sure. He saw his brother’s heads peeking down from the stairs, but he ignored them, padding towards the kitchen to inform his mother before she started yelling in stead. 

 

They met in the doorway of the kitchen, as it seemed she had intended to come to them. As she opened her mouth to question them, Billy preempted her.

 

“It’s a doll. A project for class.”

 

Understanding was clear quickly, and then amusement. “Oh boys. I remember having a project like that.. except I had to care for a sack of flour.”

 

His face screwed into disbelief. That hardly made any... “A _sack_ of _flour_?” What could a sack of flour possibly do..? But he shook his head. “That sounds a lot easier than this.” He hadn’t really noticed that he had naturally elevated his voice to be heard over the deafening cries.

 

“Well! Aren’t you going to take care of your child? Honestly, Billy. Neglecting... ah..”

 

“Kara.”

 

“Thank you, Teddy. Are you neglecting little Kara already?”

 

...She was playing along with this.

Seriously.

 

“I don’t know what to do with it--”

 

“Her.” He was corrected again.

 

“-- _her_ when _she’s_ crying!”

 

His mothers arms crossed over her chest, hip jutting out to the side with an expression that read a complete lack of amusement. 

 

“If you think it through, it’s not that hard. You just have to try different things for a while until you know the different cries.”

 

Okay this seemed a lot more complicated again.

 

“There are different cries?” They’d always all sounded the same to him.

 

Smiling knowingly, his mother just nodded. Holding her hand out for the bag that Billy had been carrying, the one of supplies they’d been allowed from the school for the project itself, she took it from him and then sorted through. 

 

“Try feeding her.”

 

Pulling out a bottle and formula, she shoved them into his hands.

 

“Follow the directions to make it. Then heat it up. Before you give it to her, test the liquid on your wrist to make sure it’s not too hot. You don’t want to scald her mouth.”

 

Okay this was a thousand times more complicated.

 

“R...ight..”

 

Nevertheless, he took to the task she’d given him. Mixing up the proper ingredients of the formula, he then but the bottle in the microwave, allowing it to warm up for about a minute before pulling it out. Turning it over, he shook out a few drops onto his wrist. 

 

“It’s lukewarm.” He told his mother, looking to her with a completely lost expression. “Is that good enough..?”

 

Smiling again, finding amusement at being so needed again, she held out a hand for the bottle. “Let me see.”

 

Getting a few drops onto her own wrist she nodded and handed it to Teddy after. “Go ahead.”

 

Watching Teddy with the lifelike doll as he fed it the bottle, it just made Billy pause where he stood, watching in almost a trance.

 

That.. was quite a sight. It almost looked real.

 

The bottle was soon finished, and it turned out that wasn’t the end of the task.

 

“You need to burp her. That gas trapped inside isn’t good for her. So put her to your shoulder like that, and pat her back. It might even be better to stroke her back, from the bottom up. I’ve heard that’s better stimulation to help release the gas. Or that’s what they’ve found these days...”

 

“Do those th--” The look he was shot made him return to carefully choosing his words again. “Does she even.. burp..?”

 

“Well, probably not. But it’s something you have to know. You have to be sure to do it each time she eats. Trapped gas can be painful for the baby, and that’ll just make her cry again.”

 

“No, please no. No more crying.”

 

Then his mother was laughing at him again. “Oh there will be plenty of crying, Billy. So you’ll just try to cut it down as much as possible to keep it from happening unnecessarily, and then learn quickly so you know how to appease the baby quicker.” She shrugged. “Though, there are times where they just cry for the need to cry and you need to let them ride it out.”

 

He was dreading that part.

 

And within half an hour, they were left to panic again over why Kara was possibly crying.

 

“But we just fed her, so it has to be something else.” Teddy reasoned, taking an attempt at logic to make a proper choice of action for the baby. 

 

“Like what?”

 

Coming down the stairs, Billy didn’t take the time to notice his father looking over the railing as they sat helplessly in the living room, burdened with the care of the child that had been thrust upon them. He chuckled.

 

“Boys, at this rate.. you don’t have a chance.”

 

Billy turned, looking at his father as he approached, expression begging for help and answers.

 

“Mom told you?”

 

Receiving a nod, he held an empty coffee mug in his hand, ready to help them reason things through.

 

“So you fed her?”

 

“Yes, sir.” 

 

“Burped her?”

 

“Yeah, Dad.”

 

“Have you checked her diaper?”

 

The two seemed stunned.

 

“She’s a _doll_. She couldn’t possibly--”

 

But then he remembered. 

_“It needs to be fed, changed, and cleaned.”_

 

This was ridiculous. It was a doll!

 

“I’d check the diaper.”

 

And his father left them to the most dreaded duty of all parents, doll or not.

 

\------

 

“So she’s our assignment for school. We have to care for her during Spring Break and keep a kind of log about it, write a report, and bring her back and prove she was well taken care of.”

 

Teddy happily explained each detail, and he had the girls absolutely enthralled with the story. Only Eli seemed to understand his hesitance, yet saw and understood how he wanted to please and encourage Teddy with this too. Tommy just thought it was ridiculous.

 

“How in the hell is that going to prove anything? It’s a doll. Just leave it in your closet for two weeks, type up something believable for the report, and be done with it. Just don’t bring it here. That’s weird.”

 

“We can’t.” Billy began. “It’s a pretty advanced piece of tech, actually. She cries, she eats, she even... messes.” The twins both made a face as he reached the end of his explanation, but Teddy shrugged it off.

 

“But it’s--”

 

“She.”

 

“--a doll! And don’t you give me that, Altman. It is an it because it’s a freaking doll. Don’t even try and tell me that it actually has--”

 

“ _No_.” Billy pressed.

 

“Good. That would be really crossing the line far into creepy for dolls, no matter how advanced it is technologically.

 

“I always wanted a doll like this when I was little.. Normal dolls seemed boring. But one that practically lived and breathed.. I begged Dad for one. It wasn’t quite as advanced as this one back then, but it was close.” Kate went on, taking the doll from Teddy and smiling down at it. “So she’s a she, then?” She questioned and grinned as she received a nod. “The name?”

 

“Kara.”

 

“Very cute.” Cassie chirped, peering over Kate’s shoulder at the baby as she was held so gingerly. “So.. how are you going to handle her during missions, though?” Kate asked, brow raised in addition to the concerned question.

 

The couple shrugged, clearly burdened.

 

“No idea. My mom and dad shut me down on the idea that they could look after her when we get called out or have training. They claimed that we’re going to be treated like legitimate parents and we have to figure out how to properly care for our child at all times. Though I know for a fact parents rely on the grandparents all the time--”

 

“But even so, I get their point. We just have to be careful and make sure we figure out a safe alternative.”

 

“I can stay back and watch her.” Kate offered.

 

“Me too. We’ll swap out.” Cassie added, shrugging it off as if it was an easy request. Billy knew he would not have done the same in a million years if the roles were switched.

 

“Really?” He croaked out. 

 

“Sure. Like I said, I had a doll like this once.”

 

“And I’d always wanted one myself..”

 

“So it will be fun. If it turns out that you guys need either of us on the times we’re sitting out, we’ll figure something else out. But for now, that’s what we’ll do.”

 

That was a big problem solved.

 

Sighing in relief, Billy flopped back in his chair, head lolling back as he closed his eyes. “We owe you, Kate.”

 

“Nah, not this time. I really do think it’ll be fun.”

 

“Whatever you say.”

 

Having been quiet during the whole exchange, Eli cleared his throat and reentered the conversation, arms crossed over his chest. 

 

“So.. now that you’ve sorted out the... domestic problem, how about we get training? Kate and Cassie, you two will shift out for each other in even shifts for the exercises.” 

 

Eli looked to Billy, Teddy, and Tommy.

 

“Suit up and meet me at the training room.”

 

\------

 

“I wish my school did this project. It would be so much fun.”

 

Despite the level of disbelief Billy had in response to that statement, he wasn’t about to argue with the person who had been half of the solution to his problem. So he just tried to smile in some sort of feigned agreement. Like, “No, yeah. I totally agree with that statement and do not in any way find it to be crazy or ridiculous. I’m absolutely loving every second that my ears are splitting.”

 

But Kate saw through him and laughed, holding the doll out to him for him to take. For the second time that day, his response was delayed. He stared at the doll, then at Kate, only to look back at the doll again. He didn’t really have an out this time..

 

“I’ll take her.” Teddy spoke up, holding his arms out. But Kate drew back from him, giving him an odd look before it was shifted to Billy in stead.

 

“Take your “kid”!” She insisted, expression serious.

 

..He _really_ didn’t want to.

 

He was going to drop it.

Or make it cry more.

Or short circuit it with his powers.

Or kill it.

 

But it seemed he was taking too long for Kate’s liking. She handed the doll off to Teddy, grabbed his arms and positioned them properly before taking the baby back from Teddy and putting her into Billy’s awaiting, pre-positioned arms.

 

Billy looked terrified. It perfectly reflected how he felt, no matter how irrational that was since it was a _doll_. But this was important for school, and it.. seemed to be for Teddy too.

 

Tommy was the one to diffuse the moment somewhat, laughing at Billy’s expression.

 

“You are the most uptight parent I’ve ever seen. Could you be any stiffer?”

 

The girls just sighed, and Eli looked sympathetic. 

 

“Jeez. You even breathing, Kaplan?”

 

\------

 

By the time he’d calmed a bit from his “uptight” state, and the team had finished discussing what they’d deemed to be pressing that night, it had been later than he would’ve thought. Not only that, but his body ached and his eyes felt incredibly heavy. The idea of sleep sounded like the most heavenly. Judging by Teddy’s expression and the dark bags under his eyes, he could fell he felt the same. Deciding not to waste the time and effort, he mustered the energy to teleport them back to his place. He’d already talked Teddy into staying over for the duration of the break, luckily approved by his parents on the condition they kept the door wide open, so that just made it easier.

 

As his spell faded and they found themselves in his room, his legs felt like jelly more than ever before, making his worries return about holding the doll. 

 

He was gonna drop the kid.

 

“You’re not going to hurt her, Bee.”

 

He knew he probably looked like he was staring at a bomb in stead of a doll. He also understood how ridiculous his thoughts and worries were. After all, Teddy trusted him.

 

“Right... Yeah, I know.” He agreed, as if he didn’t think otherwise. Of course, both of them knew better. Just listening to the chuckle that sounded behind him, he closed his eyes as arms wrapped around him from behind, Teddy’s chin finding its place to fit perfectly in the junction between his neck and shoulder, kissing his jawline from behind.

 

“C’mon, Bee. Time for bed.”

 

Billy only managed a hummed agreement. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he murmured one more spell, changing them both into their PJs. He stood again and crawled onto the side of his bed that he always claimed for his own and waited for Teddy to do the same. He didn’t lay down, though. He just held the doll in his hands, allowing it to sit in his lap. “..How are we gonna..?”

 

“Kara can sleep between us. It’ll be fine.”

 

Because that was one thing they didn’t have. 

 

He felt wary about agreeing, but.. Teddy was the one who seemed to be more of a natural than he was. And there couldn’t be too much harm in it anyway, right? She wouldn’t fall out of bed that way, and they’d hear her if she cried. So maybe that really was the best option.

 

Teddy wasn’t giving him much of a choice anyway. He was tugged down and Kara was settled between the two of them. 

 

They’d survived the first day. Somehow, someway, they’d managed it. They were figuring it out bit by bit, and they’d solved the one problem that had weighed on them. Now they just needed to relax and sleep..

 

_Uwaaaaanh--_

__

_‘Oh god please no.’_

__

He shot up, looking down at the doll that was shrieking once more. They’d already fed her, though! And burped her, and changed her! She should have been happy and just should have slept! 

 

_“There are times where they just cry for the need to cry and you need to let them ride it out.”_

No. Not right now. No. He was just so tired...! Why couldn’t he just turn it off?

 

But a hand wove its way into his hair and lips pressed to his temple. Closing his eyes, he wanted nothing more than to simply focus on _that_ and fall asleep. 

 

“I’ll take the first shift.” The lips whispered against his skin.

 

But he felt awful. Teddy had been doing so much all day. He’d been doing.. well, quite near all of it. This was his responsibility too.

 

“No, it’s alright. I’ve got her.”

 

Drawing the covers back, Billy picked the doll up from the bed and cradled her in his arms as he had seen Teddy do, and as Kate had shown him how to. He rocked her back and forth and walked to the hallway, to the stairs, and down to walk through the kitchen and living room. He remembered his mother’s stories of how much, and how often, he had cried as a baby. How she would walk with him, rock him, talk to him, and sing to him. So he did just that. He walked with Kara in his arms, rocking her gently as he spoke softly and lovingly. He talked to her as if she could really hear. He sang to her as if it would lull her to sleep.

 

When the crying finally stopped, he would have liked to think he had done something to make the baby feel better. Or maybe he was starting to think of this in far too real of a sense. It hardly mattered at the time, because with the quiet that settled again, it just meant that he could return to bed and finally get some long awaited sleep of his own.

 

It almost sounded too good to be true.

 

\------

 

The baby woke them four more times that night. Their system of alternation worked well enough, though it didn’t stop the dread from rising the moment they woke to the crying and knew it was their turn. By the time they dragged themselves out of bed in the morning, it was Teddy who was doing most of the dragging, attempting to coax Billy out of bed. But in stead of moving in such a progression, he’d deemed it acceptable to cling to Teddy and bury his face in his shoulder to murmur unintelligible curses at the sun for peering through his curtains, but that’s what Teddy knew it was.

 

Teddy carried Kara downstairs as Billy trudged down the stairs, lacking quite a bit of grace. His mother was at the stove, cooking their breakfasts. She had only just started, really. He could smell the toasting bread, and hear the sizzle of the eggs as they cooked in the pan.

 

“Sorry for the noise last night.” He knew it probably been easy for them either. Plopping down in his seat at the table, Teddy beside him with Kara in his lap, Billy looked after his mother who still hadn’t answered. Was she that mad? He’d tried to take her down here as quickly as possible to minimize the noise they would hear. Teddy had done the same. 

 

“Uh.. Mom? I mean, we tried to get down here to calm her down so you guys wouldn’t hear too much of it.” 

 

Waiting again, he still received no answer. Wow. He really had to be in for it..

 

“Mom?”

 

As she turned to look at him, she seemed to be surprised. Her hands reached up to her ears and plucked something from them. “Oh, I’m sorry, dear. What did you say? I must have forgotten to take these out.”

 

His eyes followed the small, squishy objects. “Wh.. are those-- You--!” Frazzled, he buried his face in his hands. “Nevermind.” He mumbled, finding himself to be terribly jealous. They had used earplugs..  They’d gotten to sleep through every bit. 

 

He wanted to go back to bed.

 

\------

 

The rest of the week, and that which followed, held steady progression, though not for their sleep schedule. They were a little less lost the second day, and by the third they were learning new tricks that Billy’s Mother and Father had been throwing their way during their moments of loss. By the end of the week, Billy _was_ starting to hear the difference in the cries, though Teddy picked it up three days before he did. Kate and Cassie made the transition during the time they had to devote to the team, easy. There was no need to worry about Kara with them. They took better care than they could ever hope to, or that was what they had believed. Not only that, but each afternoon they managed to find the time to log each thing that happened, each trick they learned, and each bit of progress they made. Whether it was learning the cries, or maybe cutting down on the time it took to get Kara to stop crying.

 

Billy’s mother had found baby doll clothes from her childhood for the baby, and they were actually pretty impressive. Varying, beautiful dresses which she allowed them to use. It definitely added effect. She didn’t mind them using it since she said she had been saving it for the daughter she’d planned to have one day, but since it was something her boys needed, it worked just as well.

 

They supposed they agreed. It didn’t really hurt, anyway. 

 

The two weeks of Spring, in the end, had felt in no way like a break. It had been a life challenge. It put them to the test, and left them on edge in many moments. If they hadn’t thought they knew what sleep deprivation was, they surely did now. And if they had ever believed that having a child to take care of was easy, they would never make that mistake again. Honestly, Billy wasn’t sure how his mother had done it with three. 

 

Yet, by the end after they turned in their log, report, and returned Kara to the care of the class, it had been.. _weird_ to not have to worry about her. She almost really had become a person in their lives. Though it had been so trying, and draining, and stressful.. There had been something so special about it. Teddy had lived it in such a complete and real sense. He’d made it feel just as much so for Billy, and he’d found himself enjoying it. It made the conversation they’d had about one day.. Maybe..

 

Flopping down on his bed, he nuzzled his face into the covers and flailed his arm up behind him in some kind of signal, that only Teddy would ever understand, as an invite to join him. 

 

“It’s really quiet.”

 

“...Mm.”

 

Both of their expressions had fallen a bit until Billy wiggled forward, touching his forehead to Teddy’s. 

 

“Still think we can.. y’know.. maybe... _eventually_ , of course..”

 

“Yeah, Tee. I definitely think so. That.. wasn’t a bad taste of it.”

 

Because both of them knew, that had been a pretty realistic test run, but they also knew it would be a difference that was worlds apart from what it would be like when they really got to that point in their lives. But by then, they’d be ready. For goofy teenagers who didn’t know much and hadn’t been in the least bit ready, they really hadn’t done so bad.

 

That felt good.

 

“Still think we can do three, though?”

 

There was a pause before Teddy laughed, leaning up to press his lips to Billy’s forehead. 


End file.
